The Ruler
by Vean
Summary: Cavanaugh calls Sr Winifred Callahan into his office for a talk.


_**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, only borrowing them from Tess Gerritsen and TNT.**_

**A/N This is just a one-shot where Sister Winifred Callahan was called to Lieutenant Cavanaugh's Office. (and partly explains why she was never seen since that one episode.)**

**A/N Many thanks to Cagney who alerted me of 2 major errors in the first upload of this story. These have now been rectified.**

**The Ruler**

"Sister Winifred, I would like to talk to you in my office. Now."

Lieutenant Sean Cavanaugh looked at her quite sternly and gazed at the ruler she was holding in her right hand, before returning to his office, beckoning for her to follow him.

The nun was curious as to what Cavanaugh could possibly want her for, but she dutifully walked from her desk to the office, surreptitiously watched by Detectives Jane Rizzoli and Barry Frost. Jane turned to Barry with wondering eyes.

"Psst, what d'ye reckon he wanted to talk to her about?"

"I have no idea." he shrugged.

Meanwhile in the office, the nun was filled with a sense of foreboding as she saw the Lieutenant's stern visage as he looked at her.

"Please sit down, we need to talk about a few things that's come to my attention."

The elderly nun sat down, holding her ruler with both hands, with some trepidation.

"What can I do for you, Lieutenant?"

"For a start, you can give me your ruler. I've personally observed you using it with some of the officers and detectives in the department, striking them, probably to make a point or so."

Flustered, the nun was rendered speechless. Cavanaugh continued, in a gentle but firm voice,

"In the State of Massachusetts, striking someone in the workplace, even with a ruler, would be considered Assault and Battery. I cannot have the Boston Police Department be left liable to litigation by staff or visitors. So I need to get the ruler off you and request that you refrain from using rulers, as this Department is not a schoolroom, and you are not teaching. You are here with the aid of a federal grant, to help us counsel families of homicide victims. And as such, I fail to see how you would be in need of a wooden ruler. Would you mind explaining why you see fit to bring it to the Department?"

Sr Winifred had the grace to be embarrassed. Still, she said nothing.

"Well, are you not going to hand me the ruler?"

She handed over the ruler, reluctantly.

"Thank you Sister." the Lieutenant put the ruler in his drawer, before looking at the nun, waiting for her response to his question.

Quietly, she admitted the real reason she brought the ruler. She just had it in her bag, and with over fifty years of being a teacher in the schoolroom, she had the habit of having the ruler in her hand. As it was in her hand, she found herself using it with people she remembered teaching in the past.

The Lieutenant spoke then.

"Sister, you may have taught a lot of the people here while they were children, including myself, but we are not children anymore, and I've already said this, but this is not a schoolroom. Are you going to have difficulties in separating the past from the present?"

"No, and I thank you for reminding me of this. May I have my ruler back? You told me it's not the schoolroom and I doubt if you have the right to confiscate my ruler? I've had it for a long time. I see what you mean about assault and battery laws, so I will not bring it with me again."

The man smiled at the nun and told her he was merely making the point and was glad they understood each other. He returned the ruler to her and continued talking.

"I was thinking of another thing. Your job is counseling families of homicide victims, and I think you may need a room of your own. There is one empty room that is not used at all, at the back, and I am more than happy to give you that room as an office you can use for your work. Would you like to avail of this, or would you like to stay where you are? The grant money covers this, I checked."

"Thank you very much Cavanaugh. I would like to have this, as I sometimes find the bullpen a bit distracting, and the people I counsel may need immediate access to sessions with me. Sometimes I've had to wait until an interrogation room became free."

"Then that's settled then, your office will be made ready for you by Monday morning."

"Thank you, Lieutenant."

There were celebratory drinks in the Dirty Robber pub that night.

_**A/N I'm looking for a beta reader for a multi-chapter fic that covers the Holy Joe Killer Case. If you think you can help with this, let me know. Thanks. **_


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